Reviews by BeerManDan:

When poured, the color a medium dark brown with some tan foam and there was lace on the side of my glass. There was a smell of sweet roasted malts and a hint of molassis was evident. The taste was more complex than the smell. Roasted malts, molassis, but then there was a hint of coffee, chocolate and vanilla. Nicely put together, just a touch to bitter. I thought the flavor got even better as the stout warmed up. More flavor and less bitterness. (449 characters)

More User Reviews:

Pours not quite a lump of coal dark but close with some nice ruby tint thru out with an off white head that is gone quite quickly.deeply roasted malt and dark fruit in the nose with a hint of milk chocolate,big robust flavors for a big stout tarry and fruity roasted of course with a light smoky flavor in the finish.Wow I really like theis holiday stout big and complex and quite quaffable to boot. (399 characters)

Appearance - Well, beside the lack of head I noticed that it's really not all that dark. I mean, yeah, it's dark, but not like a lump of coal. It said "Dark Holiday Stout" on the label too. It looks nice, just not super dark.

Smell - This English Stout has a nice, light burnt malt aroma with some notes of yeast and nuts. I hate to say chestnuts because it sounds so cheesy (holiday beer and all) but that's kind of what I'm getting.

Taste - This has a sharp burnt malt flavor to it that really lingers beautifully on the palate. There are some sugars at the taste that I didn't catch at the nose, but they are relatively subdued.

Mouthfeel - This just does meet my definition of medium-bodied. It lacks that nasty citrus tang that I've found in some cheap examples of the style. The blackened malts offer some bitterness at the finish.

Drinkability - The slight dryness at the end makes you want to drink more of it, but the flavors are sharp enough to keep one sipping. Nothing out of this world but nicely done just the same.

Update - I re-tried this holiday beer the day before Thanksgiving 2009 and it's just as I remembered it from my notes. I got a little better aroma from the glass this time around so upped my Smell rating half a point but otherwise this was right on. (1,284 characters)

Clever label, mediocre beer. A 50dc bottle poured into an imperial pint glass. The beer was dark brown with red highlights. It had a medium-sized tan head that disappeared quickly. Roasted malt and faint chocolate aroma. Coffee and chocolate taste, teeny bit of hops. The beer seemed to be pretty watery, and I don't think I'll have it again. (342 characters)

The beer pours a dark brown to black color with some off-white bubbles but not real head. The aroma is heavy on the chocolate and roasted malt with some anise notes mixed in. The flavor is almost identical. The chocolate and roasted malt are what really stands out, but the licorice/anise notes are in the flavor as well. Thick mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Not great, but one of the better Ridgeway beers I have tried. (423 characters)

Poured cold from 1pt 9oz bottle into pint glass. Nice creamy looking head low, holds at about 1/8 of an inch.

Smells of malts and maybe a hit of copper. Taste is nice, albeit light for a Stout, I think that this is a nice stout for people who normally find a stout a little stronger that what they would normally drink. It does have a nice chocolaty taste and nice creamy mouthfeel.

A little bitter aftertaste on the finish, but all in all a decent beer. (457 characters)

Drinkability: A very nice stout. The only thing that makes it holiday like imo is the warming strenghth. Very pleasant roasty , chocolatey ,and sweet flavors that are kept in a great creamy balance. (696 characters)

The best part of this beer is how it looks. Midnight black pour with a short-lived brown head. It goes downhill from there. Sour, fake-malt aroma with dank wood and grain. Thin, watery mouthfeel. The taste is not like any stout I have ever had. Corn, grain, sour hops, metal, and burnt malt, but in a bad way. The worst is yet to come: a Jelly Belly popcorn aftertaste. Seems like a gimmick name for a bad, overpriced beer. (423 characters)

Very chocolaty tastes,also roasty.a sweet boozy taste,a bit winey.
Notes of vanallia,the finish is dry,tart,bitter,yet very clean. Not a bad taste, just a bit boring.

A medium mouthfeel,creamy,a tad sticky. Easy drinking, just wouldn't
drink more than a few. This beer just reminds more more of a porter than a stout. Not a bad beer nothing to get excited about though. (738 characters)

Appearance: Pours a very dark blackish brown with a slight hint of ruby. Moderate amount of bubbles and about two fingers of light tan head that recede into a thin patchy layer. Leaves a decent amount of spotty lacing around the glass.

Smell: A roasty and sweet dark aroma. Roasted malts with hints of chocolate, coffee, burnt caramel, toffee, and hazel nut. Mild hint of smoke. Also some light undertones of dark fruit including prune and raisin. Sweet scents of brown sugar. Hop scent is very light. A pretty nice roasty and burnt aroma.

A 500ml bottle with a BB of Oct 2014. Picked up from Booths about a month ago. Described on the label as a dark holiday stout - this is the second Christmas brew that I've had from Ridgeway recently. Lots of grains on the ingredient list.

Poured into a tulip pint glass. Bottle conditioned. A very deep ruby hue that appears black in the glass. Low carbonation. Produces a large head of creamy off-white foam that lasts for a few minutes before subsiding. Aroma of sweet, fruity malt with notes of prunes, dried fruit, molasses, mild roasted grain, subtle coffee, chocolate, faint smoke and yeast esters. Well-rounded but holds back on the roastiness that many stouts have.

Tastes of fruity malt with a dry finish. Notes of dried fruit, molasses, fruit cake, mild roasted grain, chocolate, faint coffee, leather, earthy yeast, a twinge of smokiness and stewed hops. Slightly sweet. A subtle bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, spicy and lightly tingly, with good body but a lack of carbonation. Mildly astringent, with an aftertaste of fruity malt and earthy yeast. The flavour doesn't linger much.

Not bad, though it seems like more of a porter than a stout. The strength doesn't show either - it's an 8% brew that drinks like a 4%. Looks alright and the aroma is decent, but the flavour seems rather muted. Some more roasted malt notes/bitterness would be nice. Body is OK, if a little flat. I guess for the ABV I expected a more complex flavour profile and a longer finish. A reasonable Christmas beer that doesn't quite live up to expectations. Worth trying but no need to seek it out. (1,605 characters)

Pours almost black with garnett highlights. Light tan head which quickly dissipates to a thin film. Aroma is chocolate and coffee. Taste is initially chocolates, then roasted malts, fruitiness in the finish. Seems medium bodied, lighter carbonation and some alcohol burn at the end. This is a pretty good stout, I'll probably get this again. (341 characters)

Despite the claim on the label, it does not pour out black as can be, its actually more brown and ruby. Aroma was lacking anything but slight roast.

A good dallop of nuttiness and toffee out of this one. Easy drinking enough. Slight plum and raisin feel to it. Keeps the bitterness in check. Good price on it, under $4, might go back to this one once a year around the holidays, a little changeup for that time of year. (420 characters)

Dark but not opaque, mahogany highlights shine through. Tannish head head is not big but leaves collars for lace on the glass. Aroma is reserved, mostly pale caramelized sugar, not much special. Flattish mouthfeel and not that pleasant, not coating or creamy. Flavors show some aspects of generic fruit-flavored gum, transitioning into mild and weak coffee but without an overall hard-roasted bitterness. This beer has the alcohol content to verge on Imperial or Double in strength, but compare it to Samuel Smith Imperial and its easy to see that it doesn't have nearly the interest. Sweet and unidimensional, maybe cantelope flavors are most obvious. (652 characters)

Dark bodied stout with ruby highlights when held toward the light, mocha tan head swells leaving behind even thin bands of lacing. Aroma dark fruit and dark roasted malts very bitter root like notes, with fruit sweetness in the edges a bit of booze comes off in the nose as well. Flavor is creamy with dark chocolate and some packed in fruit notes mainly a touch of yogurt tartness and plum or raisin pudding. The mild coffee and dark chocolate roasts reign supreme bringing out a bit of alcohol in each sip. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a creamy lightly carbonated milky feel to it. Overall drinkability is decent but definitely not a beer to give up on American crafts for. (678 characters)